Life expectancy in Australia continues to climb higher and higher (Media Release)

MEDIA RELEASE

8 November 2012

Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra time)

173/2012

LIFE EXPECTANCY IN AUSTRALIA CONTINUES TO CLIMB HIGHER AND HIGHER

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today released the highest life expectancy estimates ever recorded in Australia.

Director of ABS Demography, Bjorn Jarvis, said that today's Deaths, Australia, 2011 publication showed that life expectancy figures continued to increase over the ten year period ending 2011.

"Under current estimates, a boy born today could expect to live 79.7 years while a girl could expect to live 84.2. A male currently aged 65 could expect to live a further 19 years and female a further 22 years," Mr Jarvis said.

"Comparatively Australia is doing really well, our male and female combined life expectancy figure of 81.4 years is higher than the rate in the UK, Canada, New Zealand and the USA according to United Nations estimates.

"Of the states and territories, life expectancy is highest in the Australian Capital Territory with 81 for males and 84.8 for females and lowest in the Northern Territory with 74.9 for males and 80.5 for females," he said.

The standardised death rate is the lowest ever recorded, falling to 5.6 deaths per 1,000 people in 2011 from 6.6 in 2001.

"We have seen death rates fall by around 1 person per 1,000 over the last ten years with falls recorded for both males and females," Mr Jarvis said.

There were 146,900 deaths registered in Australia in 2011, a record high number.

Further details are in Deaths, Australia, 2011 (cat. no. 3302.0). State, territory and sub-state information is also available for download from the ABS website (www.abs.gov.au)

Media notes:

Standardised death rates enable the comparison of death rates between populations with different age structures by relating them to a standard population (currently, all persons in the Australian population at 30 June 2001).

Please ensure when reporting on ABS data that you attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) as the source.

Deaths, Summary statistics

2001

2010(a)

2011(b)

Change 2001–2011 (%)

Change 2010–2011 (%)

Australia(c)

Deaths (no.)

128 544

143 473

146 932

14.3

2.4

Infant mortality rate(d)

5.3

4.1

3.8

Standardised death rate(e)

6.6

5.7

5.6

Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)

77.0

79.5

79.7

Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)

82.4

84.0

84.2

Median age at death (years)

78.5

81.2

81.5

New South Wales

Deaths (no.)

44 552

47 945

50 661

13.7

5.7

Infant mortality rate(d)

5.3

4.1

3.8

Standardised death rate(e)

6.6

5.6

5.7

Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)

76.9

79.6

79.8

Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)

82.4

84.1

84.2

Median age at death (years)

78.5

81.4

81.8

Victoria

Deaths (no.)

32 295

35 623

36 552

13.2

2.6

Infant mortality rate(d)

4.8

3.3

3.5

Standardised death rate(e)

6.5

5.5

5.5

Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)

77.5

80.0

80.3

Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)

82.7

84.3

84.4

Median age at death (years)

79.0

82.0

82.2

Queensland

Deaths (no.)

22 856

27 289

27 414

19.9

0.5

Infant mortality rate(d)

5.9

5.4

4.6

Standardised death rate(e)

6.7

5.8

5.7

Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)

76.9

79.4

79.5

Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)

82.3

83.9

84.1

Median age at death (years)

77.8

80.1

80.4

South Australia

Deaths (no.)

11 891

12 957

12 665

6.5

-2.3

Infant mortality rate(d)

4.6

3.8

2.6

Standardised death rate(e)

6.8

5.9

5.6

Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)

77.0

79.4

79.7

Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)

82.5

83.8

84.0

Median age at death (years)

79.6

82.3

82.6

Western Australia

Deaths (no.)

10 779

12 720

12 724

18.0

0.0

Infant mortality rate(d)

5.1

3.6

3.0

Standardised death rate(e)

6.3

5.5

5.3

Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)

77.3

79.7

80.1

Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)

82.8

84.3

84.6

Median age at death (years)

77.9

80.2

80.3

Tasmania

Deaths (no.)

3 876

4 269

4 245

9.5

-0.6

Infant mortality rate(d)

6.2

4.1

4.5

Standardised death rate(e)

7.6

6.7

6.5

Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)

76.0

78.0

78.3

Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)

81.2

82.3

82.5

Median age at death (years)

78.7

80.7

80.9

Northern Territory

Deaths (no.)

872

981

964

10.6

-1.7

Infant mortality rate(d)

10.7

7.2

7.6

Standardised death rate(e)

9.4

7.8

7.3

Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)

70.8

74.0

74.9

Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)

76.5

79.2

80.5

Median age at death (years)

58.2

61.4

61.9

Australian Capital Territory

Deaths (no.)

1 419

1 679

1 700

19.8

1.3

Infant mortality rate(d)

3.0

3.7

2.9

Standardised death rate(e)

6.3

5.3

5.1

Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)

78.5

80.5

81.0

Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)

82.9

84.7

84.8

Median age at death (years)

77.2

81.1

81.4

(a) Death rates for 2010 have been calculated using revised 30 June 2010 estimated resident population based on results from the 2006 Census.

(b) Death rates for 2011 have been calculated using preliminary 30 June 2011 estimated resident population based on results from the 2006 Census.

(c) Includes Other Territories

(d) Infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

(e) Deaths per 1,000 standard population. Standardised death rates use total persons in the Australian population at 30 June 2001 as the standard population.